From the Editor & A Message from the Publisher
From the Desk of
Paul Sciria
YOUNGSTOWN
For
a
very
long
time,
Clevelanders
have
patronized
restaurants, steak houses, sports
bars, fast food chains, and a variety
of ethnic eateries. Traveling down
memory lane, Italian restaurants
were mostly neighborhood momand-pop operations. Quick research
reveals there were 681 Cleveland
restaurants in July of 1928 feeding
an average of 300,000 people daily.
The area food outlets skyrocketed
to several thousands in the 1990s.
In my early years, spending several
as a television and radio reporter, I
was very much aware of the hot spots
for dining in Northeast Ohio. The
Theatrical Grill, on Vincent Ave.
between E. 6th and E. 9th Streets
was a famous spot directed by Morris
“Mushy” Wexler. It was where the
movers and shakers in Cleveland
went for some of the finest in dining.
The Theatrical Grill burned to the
ground in 1960 and the movers and
shakers went elsewhere; many to Billy
Weinberger’s Kormans. Weinberger
was a marketing entrepreneur and his
food and success prompted him to go
west to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
In the 1980s, Jim Swingo’s at
E. 18th and Euclid was a favorite
hangout,
and,
when
business
faded, he took his eatery west
to Swingos on the Lake. He
left a downtown locale that was a
celebrity stopover for the likes of
Elvis, Led Zeppelin and Sinatra.
On E. 9th near the present
ballpark, was the well-known New
York Spaghetti House. Brown sauce
was their specialty. Heading north to
nearly Euclid, Chef Hector Boiardi
was doing big business as the “king
of the red sauce.” If it was seafood
you wanted, you walked onto Lake
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IN THIS ISSUE
July 2015
FROM LA GAZZETTA
03 From the Desk of Paul Sciria
03 A Message from the Publisher
NEWS
04 News from Italy
05 News from the Consulate
NIAF
04 Launches New Leadership Council
BOOK REVIEW
04 Italian Zest in Life & Loss
FEATURE
06 The Culinary Legacy of
the Quagliata Family
07 Chef Michael Annandono
07 Luca Italiana Cuisine
08 Carchedi's Restaurant
08 Captive Aperte
EVENTS IN ITALY
12 Current Events
HISTORY & CULTURE
14 Italian Artists Abroad
15 Cleveland Italian Film Festival
15 Opera in the Italian Garden
2
Local Gazzetta
LOCAL NEWS
LINGUA ITALIANA
25 Il Cenacolo Italiano Di Cleveland
25 JAC Tournament
25 Opera Per Tutti
26 Antonio & Rose Ruggiero
26 Remebering Albert Calta
Notizie Dall'Italia 16
Gli Italo-americani e La Grande Guerra 16
TRAVEL
Innovation and Tradition 17
27 Societa Onoraria Italica
28 Italian Americans and World War I
PEOPLE
A Priest & His Planet 18
Italian Stories Arranges Meetings with
Local Artisans in Italy 18
All'Anno Prossimo 19
Charles Atlas 19
CARS
The New Fiat 500x 19
ENTERTAINMENT
Enzo Gragnaniello 20
FOOD & WINE
Wine Grape 21
The Healthy Mediterranean Diet 21
Sept 1933: Little Italy's
I&A Grocery & Meat Market 21
Recipes 22
WHERE TO BUY
La Gazzetta Print 48
AUGUST PREVIEW
The August issue of La Gazzetta is dedicated
to Little Italy's around the U. S. We are asking all
of our subscribers to submit their favorite Little
Italy and tell us why, and we will print them in the
next issue! [email protected]
We will also look at the festivals planned for
Northeast Ohio. If you are the organizer for a
local festival, please send all of your information
to me at the email below, so that I can promote
it in our August calendar and on our website.
Please submit all letters to the editor to Angie
Spitalieri,
[email protected].
If your company would like to place an ad
in our upcoming issue, please contact Paul
Sciria, 440-461-9836. All advertisements
must be submitted by July 16. For more
information on becoming a distributor, please
call Angie Spitalieri, Publisher, 216-229-1346
or email [email protected].
LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA | JULY 2015
29 Local Festivals
CLUB NEWSLETTERS
30 Americans of Italian Heritage
31 Le Radici
32 Club Molisani
33 Casa Italia Foundation
34 Italian American Cultural Foundation
35 Home Family Club
38 Loggia Baranello
39 Order Italian Sons & Daughters of America
40 Nothern Ohio Italian American Foundation
41 Rionero Sannitico Recreational Club
42 Solon Italian Club
43 Southwest Italian American Club
44 Wickliffe Italian-American Club
45 The Patrons of the Arts
46 The Italian American Brotherhood Club
PHOTO EXHIBIT
36 Food
KIDS CORNER
47 Homework / Nonna
LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA | JULY 2015
Erie via a pier to
Captain Frank’s. This
was the place to run
into City Hall officials.
Joe Cavoli was the
entrée champion on the
west side at W. 115th
and Clifton. Cavoli’s
American and Italian
cuisine attracted many
from our community as
well as local celebrities.
Lou Boudreau, Cleveland
Indians
infielder
and
manager, hosted a small
party there for Tribe
owner
Alva
Bradley. N e w
York Yankee members, including
outfielder Joe DiMaggio, feasted on
the lasagna and ravioli. Eventually,
Cavoli’s closed and was purchased by
attorney Chris Nardi who changed
the Cavoli name to Abruzzi.
As busy as downtown and his
Ten-Eleven Club was, Shondor Burns
had the Alhambra Tavern swinging
on the east side. At a nearby corner
spot was the most liked, middle-class
Clark Restaurant and many of the
blue collared folks enjoyed a sandwich
at Tasty’s or the Miami Restaurant.
In the suburbs, the Quagliatas
operated three Spaghetti Companies:
one on Wilson Mills and Som Center
in Mayfield Village, another in Solon
and one westward in North Olmsted.
Appreciation of Italian food has
always been a gateway to Little Italy.
The Golden Bowl featured different
menus like the renowned Frankie
and Johnnies (now the site of Primo
Vino). Dishes such as veal piccata,
arugula salads and fettuccine with
seafood were a culinary sophistication
at the Roman Gardens (now
Trattoria). Exciting meals were also
Paul Sciria,
Managing Editor
served at Teresa’s, Minnillo’s
Greenhouse and later their Baracelli
Inn location. Some of the best cutlets
in town were served at the long-time
Mayfield Rd. site of Guarino’s.
Rondini’s was a major player in
East Cleveland at Coit and Euclid,
and the Blue Grass, Highlander
Inn and Guciardo’s were popular
to the nearby racetrack crowd. The
Zephyr and Encore Room in Shaker
Heights
attracted
suburbanites
and show biz celebs with their
gourmet food. On Shaker Square
was Caminati’s with a wide variety
of Italian cuisine. They served lunch
and dinner to the “uppity-ups” and
the Colony theater clique. Stouffer’s
was a high-class dining emporium.
Our town has been blessed
with some of the most colorful fine
dining establishments. Italian food
and dining has emerged as customers
came to understand that Italian
food is a reflection of the passion
and culture of the Italian people.
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A Message from the Publisher
Happy Summer! We are in the
middle of festival time, so check
out the nine festivals listed on our
event calendar this month. If you’re
an opera fan, you won’t want to
miss the July 26 performance in
the Italian Cultural Gardens. If
your community or parish has an
upcoming festival, please contact us,
so that we can help you promote it.
Our July issue is all about
Chefs and Restaurants. You will
have the opportunity to get to
know a well-known local family,
lieri, the Quagliata’s, be introduced
a
Angela Spit blisher to Chef Luca Sema, and spend
Pu
a little time learning more
about Chef Michael Annandono.
We will also feature some of the
great festivals throughout Italy.
You also won’t want to miss our
article on the new ideas coming
out of NIAF in Washington D.C.
Finally,
from
all
of
us
at
La
Gazzetta,
we
wish
you a Happy 4th of July!
If you are interested in
writing for us, we would love to
have you! To learn more, please
email
Jennifer
Spitalieri
at
[email protected].
We have launched our online
version of La Gazzetta and we
encourage you to subscribe today.
Please visit our website at www.
lagazzettaitaliana.com. As always,
we
appreciate
your
feedback!
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